Don't wait for a smile, to be nice.
อย่ารอคอยให้ได้รับรอยยิ้ม แล้วจึงทำดี Don't wait to be loved, to love.
อย่ารอคอยให้มีคนรัก แล้วจึงมอบความรักให้ผู้อื่น Don't wait to be lonely, to recognize the value of a friend.
อย่ารอคอยจนกลายเป็นคนโดดเดี่ยว แล้วจึงเห็นคุณค่าของเพื่อน Don't wait for the best job, to begin to work.
อย่ารอคอยให้ได้งานที่ดีที่สุด แล้วจึงเริ่มทำงาน Don't wait to have a lot, to share a bit.
อย่ารอคอยให้มีมากๆ แล้วจึงเริ่มแบ่งปันเพียงน้อยนิด Don't wait for the fall, to remember the advice.อย่ารอคอยจนพบความล้มเหลว แล้วจึงจดจำคำแนะนำของผู้อื่น Don't wait for pair, to believe in prayer.
อย่ารอคอยจนพบเนื้อคู่ แล้วจึงเชื่อในคำอธิษฐาน Don't wait to have time, to be able to serve.
อย่ารอคอยให้มีเวลา แล้วจึงทำประโยชน์ Don't wait for anybody else pain, to ask for apologies.... neither seperation to make it up
อย่ารอคอยให้คนอื่นเจ็บปวดเสียก่อนแล้วจึงขอโทษหรือต้องเลิกคบกันก่อน แล้วจึงหวนมาคืนดี Don't wait.......Because you don't know how long it will takes.
อย่ารอคอย.... เพราะคุณไม่รู้ว่ามันจะต้องใช้เวลานานเท่าใด
the 2 hands that seem gentle, the 2 hands that are soft and sensitive, the 2 hands that seem unimportant, are the hands that make the world go round, even though you were born your physically a lady, the truth is you possess even more strength than a man in your heart, just as long it's is how you want it, you will persevere.............everything is up to you.even though the man possesses more power your hands are what make the world go round..............I interpreted the first part right.
Martin Wheeler'swealth comes in bundlesof happiness
Most of us like to read stories about rich and successful people, to see how they made it to the top.
Martin Wheeler and son
This will also be a story of a rich man. However, "rich" in this case does not refer to money, but happiness.
This man doesn't own a giant company, nor does he own any buildings, but he believes he has it all.
He says the implementation of the King's sufficiency economy theory can make his life complete.
It's the strangest thing to hear all these thoughts coming from the mouth of a non-Thai citizen. Interestingly enough, this farang seems to far better comprehend the King's idea than most Thais.
This 47-year-old Briton is named Martin Wheeler. He eats rice and the organic vegetables he grows. Even some rich people, when they hear about his life, can't help feeling a twinge of jealousy, and puzzlement at how he managed to detach himself from the mainstream life that is dominated by greed, money, ambition, competition, and the like.
Mr Wheeler currently lives at Baan Kham Pla Lai in Khon Kaen, with a Thai wife, Rojana Wheeler, and his three children. He has spent a total of 17 years in Thailand and eight years have been spent in this remote community.
He says he eventually found real happiness after a long quest from England.
Mr Wheeler, who graduated with first-class honours in Latin from London University, turned his back on his career and decided to take up the simple life in rural Thailand.
"Personally, there is something more valuable in life than money," he said in fluent Thai, with a northeastern accent.
"Is money not significant?" I asked. No, he answered.
Mr Wheeler doesn't refuse the importance of money: He needs it too, to buy things for himself and his family and keep everything running smoothly.
But he never allows money to have an influence over his life.
"Having more money makes our life more complicated and unhappy sometimes ... I look at money as a drug that puts our life in danger," he said.
Though well educated, he has worked as a labourer earning less than 100 baht a day. He once decided to spend all his remaining cash to purchase clothes, shoes and other accessories to make himself look good enough to get a job as an English teacher in Bangkok.
However, as time went by, he eventually quit as he felt he had betrayed himself by doing something he disliked for money.
Currently, the couple owns 47 rai. Ten rai are used to grow jasmine and sticky rice, seven rai for pterocarpus macrocarpus (Mai pradoo), diptercarpaceae and dipterocarpus alatus trees, and a rai for vegetables. She helps by doing the household chores and field work.
They live simple lives. She cooks rice that comes from their own farm; the vegetables they eat are harvested from their own land.
I joined the couple for a lunch that included purple-coloured rice and three Isan side dishes.
She said the rice was old, and had lost its gentle aroma. To boost it, a few drops of the liquid extracted from butterfly pea, a type of local flower, were added.
The pair spends less than 200 baht on daily living. This money includes paying for electricity, water and gas.
- Theory of sufficiency economy
His quest for freedom and happiness led him to become a strict follower of the King's philosophy.
However, he believes many Thais have a tendency to misunderstand the theory.
The major problem at the moment is the term "enough": People have widely varying definitions of it.
That is why the theory hasn't really blossomed, he says.
"Similar to a way of Buddhism, people are told to rely on themselves, not on others, and walk in the middle path. It is very logical for human life at present," he explained, adding that even though he does not follow any religion, he does like the teaching of Buddhism.
Mr Wheeler says three prime guidelines can help create a sustainable community, particularly in rural areas.
First, people will have to rely mostly on themselves with the resources they already have.
Second, agricultural output can be distributed commercially under the one-tambon one-product (OTOP) scheme.
Third, an enterprising community will set up ways to work with the government to spur development.
While implementing the concept, problems may arise when people are immature, he added. Some may bypass subsistence agricultural production to focus only on producing OTOP products for commercial purposes. But this won't help create a solid foundation for the community, he said.
Today, Mr Wheeler speaks about the sufficiency economy in his local community and others.
The man has been a role model in his community by showing them how to live happily and sufficiently, given the scarcity of natural resources in the area.
First, he said the attitude towards being rich among rural northeastern people must change. They must accept the troubles they face.
For example, the soil is not as fertile as other regions. Plus, when the dry season comes, they face a severe water shortage. The chance of obtaining a proper education is rare. It is tough for the local people to make a living.
So, what to do? He said they should look for ways to maximise the resources in the community. All hands are needed to work cohesively.
For example, the community he lives in now has been developed with the efforts of Ubonrat Dam Hospital. The pilot project, based on the framework of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, gave a platform for community members to discuss and analyse the problems they have and seek solutions.
- Being happy in the rice field
Mr Wheeler wakes up 5.45am and arrives at the rice field at 6am. He normally spends 6 to 8 hours working there if the sun is not too strong. He walks in the field with bare feet and his feet get wounded by sharp objects.
His routine is to pull out the weeds in the rice field and look after other crops. When the rice-growing season comes, he ploughs it himself, unless he feels too exhausted. Then he will consider hiring local workers to help.
When asked if he used to feel discouraged and want to do something else, he answers: "No. All that I've done I've already chosen and so I'm happy with my choice now."
He produces about 100-150 sacks of rice annually. All are kept in the barn for family consumption and also for visitors coming to learn about the concept of sufficiency economy he practices.
Whenever a group of visitors arrive, his wife and neighbours will cook and serve Isan dishes and bananas grown in their fields, for about 70 baht per person.
Mr Wheeler's speaking fees generate an extra 15,000-30,000 baht each month.
Economically, he said, Thais are very lucky. Many lost their jobs during the recent economic downturn. However, they still have houses to live in and food to eat. They also have their own land to grow plants and food.
Compare that to British people who own no land and house, he said. They rely heavily on staying employed because they live in rented houses.
So where is the happiness in that sort of hard life?
- A happy family
Today, Mr Wheeler's family lives in a small wooden house he built himself. In the past, he said, he lived in a cottage.
He provides education for his children, but just enough for them to become strong enough to fly out of the nest. He has never forced them to take up any money-making subjects.
He teaches them to know their abilities, and not to follow social trends. He does not want them to enroll in a mainstream academic programme, filled with fierce competition and pressure.
"Even though the English language is an advantage in today's society, I have never forced them to talk or learn it from me. At home, we speak two languages - Thai and Lao," he said.
Currently, the oldest boy, 14, is studying in Khon Kaen and the second one, 12, is studying at the College of Dramatic Arts in Kalasin.
When they grow up and have nowhere else to go, "home will be their shelter. Happiness is guaranteed here, even without much money.
There are an increasing number of foreigners who are marrying Thai women or Thai men. And according to our ThailandQA.com Forums, there are also many people coming to Thailand to attend weddings as guests as they are asking questions like “What do we wear to a Thai wedding” and “What gift do we give the bride and bridegroom?”. As I was at a Thai wedding last weekend, I thought I would share with you some of my photos. I was the official photographer (I also do funerals but that is another story) so I took about 1,900 pictures on this day. I have been to quite a few weddings in Thailand, so I will try my best to give you an explanation of a typical wedding. These may vary throughout the country but most of them typically have the same elements. In urban areas the wedding might only last for one day, but upcountry the celebrations often go on for three or four days. These are pictures of a typical wedding in Central Thailand.
A Thai wedding in Thailand is not your typical wedding that you may have experienced in your home country. There is no church wedding as such as the first ceremony usually takes place at the home of the bride or the new home of the wedding couple. Traditionally, an odd number of monks, usually nine, are invited to bless the home of the wedding couple and also all of the participants in the upcoming wedding. The wedding cannot take place on just any month of the year or even day or time. Auspicious months for a wedding are usually days in the waxing phase of the moon on the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and twelve lunar months.
These are all even months as the number two represents the couple to be married. The ninth lunar month is also considered to be lucky. However, you should never get married in the tenth lunar month as it is considered very unlucky for your marriage. This is to do with dogs who are usually in heat at that time of the year. No-one wants to be associated with copulating dogs. Once the month is chosen, they then consult an astrologer who will then choose the precise date and time for the ceremonies to start.
The monks are invited early in the morning. Usually for this part of the ceremony, only close family and friends might attend. The five precepts are first recited and then the monks chant auspicious text from the scriptures. While this is being done, some water in a bowl, with a candle dripping over it, is being made sacred. At the completion of the chanting, the wedding couple simultaneously, again representing their unity, offer food to each of the monks. After the monks have finished their meal, the couple then make another offering of flowers, money in an envelope and essential items for every day life for the monks. Any merit made during this ceremony is then passed onto ancestors and absent relatives by doing “kruat nam”, where water is poured from a container slowly into a bowl. The head monk will then mark the foreheads of the couple with three dots using paste which was blessed during the ceremony. He then blesses the couple with the holy water.
As the monk departs, he will sprinkle water over the other guests. To receive the blessing in a proper manner, you need to put your hands together in a prayer-like gesture.
As you can see by the above picture, most guests are sitting outside the house at round tables. They are being served food and drinks. Though, strictly speaking, they cannot start eating until after the monks have finished their own meal. Inside the house were the parents and grandparents of the couple to be married. Everyone else was outside. When you receive a wedding invitation, you will often have the times for three different ceremonies. Quite often these days, they are held on the same day. For this wedding, the ceremony to be blessed by the monks and to make merit started at 7 a.m. and lasted over 90 minutes. It might be a bit boring with all the chanting and if you are not a Buddhist then there isn’t much you can do other than eat and drink. In addition, you will most likely be sitting outside so will only be able to hear the chanting.
Most people don’t turn up for this part. Or, if they do, they will arrive late. You don’t have to wear anything formal, just something smart. This is now the end of the first part of the wedding day. The couple are not married yet. They have just received a blessing from the monks. The monks now leave and don’t take part in the next ceremony.
Related Blogs and Articles: Probably the most famous Thai Wedding on the Internet was of Thailand’s famous Internet teenager, Panrit “Gor” Daoruang. You can read all about his wedding and see the photos at thailandlife.com. About three years ago, I wrote a popular blog called How to Get Married Cheaply. It was a kind of mass wedding ceremony where a group of couples got married at the same time. Our Steve wrote about his own wedding in a blog called Getting Married……In Thailand and our resident Thai blogger, Oakmonster, writer about her Thai wedding in America in Temple of Love. Finally, if you are dating a Thai girl or boy, then you might find our Relationships Forum useful as it helps with cultural misunderstanding and procedures like meeting the family for the first time. You need to register to see this forum. It is quick and free to do so
I was telling you before about the Thai wedding I recently attended. The first part of the ceremony was for Making Merit and the Blessing of the Monks. On the wedding invitation I received, the next event was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. This is the parade of the groom and his family and friends from his house to the house of the bride. Though typically, they normally start their parade just around the corner. This starts as soon as the monks have left as they no longer take part in the wedding ceremony. The procession is only for members of the groom’s family and friends. They are basically escorting him to the house of the bride’s parents where the elders will discuss the dowry payment. Leading the procession are a group of young ladies performing the ramwong dance. A lot of hand movements are typically used for this. Behind them are a traditional Thai band used for such processions – they have long drums and cymbals. Next comes the banana plants and sugar cane plants. After the ceremony has finished, the banana plants are planted in the garden. By the time the couple have children, the plant will be ready to provide food and nourishment for the baby. Taking up the rear are the people carrying the gifts and food for the family of the bride.
As the procession approaches the house, they see that their way is blocked by three gates which act like a kind of “toll-gate”. To pass them, the father of the groom has to negotiate the price of a safe passage. At each gate, usually made up from silver and gold coloured belts, the price of the toll becomes higher. As you can see from this picture, a female member of the bride’s family wants a higher price than the one offered. The father of the bride has to make sure that he has enough money envelopes to pay off all the female relatives standing at each gate. Eventually they arrive at the house. The gifts are brought into the front living room and the banana tree and sugar cane plant are left at the front door to provide their own symbolic doorway.
Inside the house, senior members of each family carefully inspect all the wedding gifts. The amount of the dowry, or sin sod in Thai, to be paid by the groom to the bride’s family, had been agreed upon several months before. They were now making sure everything is in order. The food is an offering to the dead ancestors. The ceremony tells them that the couple are intending to get married. Common offerings include banana, coconut, boiled rice, meat, alcohol and Thai sweets. The number of trays offered has to be an even number to represent the couple.
The money is laid out on a cloth. This is largely symbolic as it is often returned to the couple to use after the wedding has finished. But, traditionally, it is as seen as payment for the “mother’s milk”. Again it is for the ancestors to see that this marriage is legally binding. The amount of money offered has to be an even number. If the wife desserts her husband for a reason that is not valid, then he can claim it back. Next the bride and groom present each other with gold rings and necklaces. The senior relatives then bless the money and other gifts. In the picture above, you can see various kinds of leaves in the bowls. All of these have auspicious names. Such as “gold leaf” and “silver leaf” which will mean that they will have a prosperous life.
Next the relatives, in order of seniority, will come forward to bless the couple. They will tie the “sai sin” on the wrist of each couple. To do this properly, you need to stroke the wrist of each couple first and then tie the knot. You can say a blessing at the same time. They will then prostrate in front of you, unless of course you are a junior member of the family. If you have come to this part of the ceremony, then you will see that there is a bowl next to the couple which you use to make an offering. You put the money in the same envelope that you received your invitation. This is usually pink. It already has your name on the outside so there is no reason to write anything else. Most people give at least 500 baht. You can give more if you are close to the couple. Weddings are expensive so this money helps pay for it.
The main part of the wedding ceremony is the blessing of the couple with lustural water. For this wedding, this took place at about 10.30 a.m. or 90 minutes after the procession to the house. If you want to skip the earlier chanting and the negotiation of the sin sod, then just turn up late for this part. This is often done at the house, though some people arrange for this to take place at the wedding reception in the evening. The ceremony is presided over by a senior member of the family or an invited guest who knows the rituals. A kind of spell is incanted which bless their future together. Then the “twin crown”, called “mongkhon faet” in Thai, is placed on their heads at exactly the same time. This is similar to the “mongkhon” worn by Thai boxers during their blessing ceremony. However, this version comes as a pair as there is a thin thread connecting the two. The dots, using the white paste earlier blessed by the monks, are then put on the forehead of each couple.
Relatives and friends then line up to take turns blessing the couple. If you decide to attend this ceremony, then you will need to pay attention to see how it is performed. Notice that the bride is sitting on the groom’s left. So, you first bless the groom. There will be someone standing by the bowl who will fill the small conch with the blessed water. You will probably spot some of the “silver leaf” and “gold leaf” and even “love leaf” leaves floating in the water. Hold the conch in your right hand with the left hand supporting it. Then pour some water up and down of the outstretched hand of the groom. At the same time, say something like “may you always be happy and live a long life together”. Make sure that you don’t use up all the water as you need to repeat this ritual for the bride.
By the time the last person had blessed the couple and photos had been taken standing next to the bride and groom, more than four hours had passed. I am not sure about the happy couple, but I was certainly tired. I had just taken nearly 1,000 pictures during the morning. But, it is not over yet. The main wedding reception was scheduled for that evening. I will share with you pictures of that later.
sin sod
There was actually one more ceremony that took place though I wasn’t invited. This is called the “arranging of the pillows” or “riang mon” in Thai. This takes place in the bedroom. The sin sod is placed on the bed together with the auspicious leaves. The bride and groom lie down on the bed with the sin sod between them. The bride to the left and the groom to the right. Someone who has been happily married for many years will then give instruction to the couple about how to lead a successful marriage. As this is a family website, I won’t go into details of some of the topics discussed.
Related Blogs and Articles: Probably the most famous Thai Wedding on the Internet was of Thailand’s famous Internet teenager, Panrit “Gor” Daoruang. You can read all about his wedding and see the photos at thailandlife.com. About three years ago, I wrote a popular blog called How to Get Married Cheaply. It was a kind of mass wedding ceremony where a group of couples got married at the same time. Our Steve wrote about his own wedding in a blog called Getting Married……In Thailand and our resident Thai blogger, Oakmonster, writer about her Thai wedding in America in Temple of Love. Finally, if you are dating a Thai girl or boy, then you might find our Relationships Forum useful as it helps with cultural misunderstanding and procedures like meeting the family for the first time. You need to register to see this forum. It is quick and free to do so
During the three days of Songkran people flock to the wat in their best clothes. They bring with them candles, joss sticks, flowers and small bottles of Thai scented water called "nam ob" or water saturated with perfumes. At the wat shrine each devotee lights a candle and three joss sticks and places them together with a single flower or a bouquet in a receptacle in front of Buddha's altar.
Bathing Ceremony in songkran day
The worshippers then make obeisance to the Buddha by partly prostrating themselves thrice before His image in a prescribed form. Each worshipper kneels with his hands placed palm to palm raising them to the forehead in a worshipful attitude and then prostrates himself on the floor with the hands now separated to allow the forehead to touch the floor between the palms. Such salutation is called "benchangapradit" from the Sanskrit "panchangapratishtha" (fivefold body worship, i.e.. with the forehead, two palms and two knees resting on the floor). Such salutation among the Thai is the highest form of respect. Salutation by full prostration on the ground and "kissing the earth with the forehead" is unknown.
After worshipping in this manner, a little quantity of the scented water is poured on the hands of the Buddha image. Such a ritualistic act is called in Thai "Song Nam Phra Putha Rup" (bathing the Buddha image.)
Not only do the Buddha images in Thailand receive the ceremonial bath, but elders of the family and elder monks may receive it too. Here is an account of the bathing of family elders. In Bangkok, especially among the upper class, people are want to make a traditional call on their elders to pay their respects during Songkran. This they do by pouring scented water into the palms of the elder who will then duly rub it lightly on his head and face. The elder, in the old days, would then be presented by the visitors with a "phanung" (loin cloth) and a "pha khao ma" for a male or a "pha hom" for a female, both of which constituted everyday wear in those days.
Bathing Ceremony
Nowadays the elder is presented with a towel, a box of handkerchiefs, a box of soap or other such articles and sometimes with a bottle of scented water. After the presentation the elder will bestow his blessing and best wishes upon the relatives for the New Year.
A gift of a bottle of scented water is specially appreciated by the older generation who are want to smear themselves during the hot season with a preparation of soft chalk powder called "din saw phong" mixed with scented water which is refreshing to the skin. Sometimes the powder is ready-mixed with attar of roses and may be applied lightly with a towel or handkerchief. Such toilet preparation is called "paeng sod" or fresh toilet powder.
In the old days, the ceremonial bath was the regular family thing. The elder would seat himself on a broad bench. The children would assist him in the bathing by pouring the scented water on him. They also would furnish him with a new set of clothing to be worn after the bath. Further they would present him with the traditional candles, joss sticks and flowers emblems denoting the highest respect among the Thai.
We now come to the ceremonial bath of a monk. It may take place on any of the three days of Songkran. The monk is usually the abbot of the monastery, who is invariably held in high esteem, usually old and, in the case of a village wat, a leading personage in the community life. People call him "Luang Phaw" (Great Father). He is not only their spiritual father but also their adviser in temporal affairs in the light of his recognised wide knowledge and experience. Sometimes he combines the versatility of doctor, astrologer and adapt in the mystical and magical arts separately or all rolled into one.
Bathing Ceremony
He is always an unquestioned mediator in disputes; the villagers, in most cases prefer to abide by their "Luang Phaw's" decision rather than report to the courts or other local authorities.
It is not difficult to see, therefore, that such a man would command hosts of disciples falling over each other to do him the traditional honour of a ceremonial bath. But in such cases a notice is circulated before-hand specifying the exact day and time of the ceremony which is the same as for the elder of a family. After the bath the abbot gives a sermon followed by his blessing for a happy New Year.
On the eve of Songkran Day, i.e. on the 12th April, the people clean their house and burn all the refuse. This is a Spring Cleaning Day done as a duty in the belief that anything bad belonging to the old year will be unlucky to the owner if left and carried on to the coming New Year. It is something like a Public Health Cleaning Day but backed by traditional belief has proved more effective to emotional people than prosaic reason.
Early on the first day of Songkran, the 13th April, the people both young and old in their new clothing go to the Wat or monastery belonging to their village or district to offer food to the monks there. A long table is erected in the compound of the wat where monk's alms bowls stand in a row on either side of the table. Into the alms bowls the gathering people put boiled rice and into the covers of the alms bowls, food, fruits and sweetmeats. Such a performance can be seen at wats outside Bangkok on Songkran Day. While the monks partake of their feast, music sometimes is played to celebrate the occasion.
In the afternoon of the same day there is bathing ceremony of the Buddha images and also of the abbot of the wat. After this begins the well-known "water throwing feast". The bathing of images is done as ritualistic ceremony, but it is no other than a New Year's purification. Younger people will also on this day or the succeeding days go to pay their respect to and ask blessings from their elders and respected persons. They will pour scented water into the palms of the old people and present them with a towel and other bathing requisites. In the old days it was an actual bathing where the young people helped the old people to take a bath and to change their old clothing and put on the new clothes which the young people presented them as an act of respect to the aged on the occasion of the New Year
Another duty to be done during the Songkran Festival is a religious service called Bangsakun performed in sacred memory to the dead. When a person died and was cremated, the ashes and charred bones of common people were buried at the root of a sacred fig-tree in a wat. Such trees are to be found in the grounds of almost every wat. It is a symbol of the Lord Buddha's enlightenment for under such a tree did Buddha sit in meditation and receive his enlightenment. If a person is able to erect a Pra Chedi or pagoda in the wat the ashes and bones are then deposited in it. In later times a portion of the bones was sometimes kept in the house in a receptacle. On Songkran Day a religious service in sacred memory to the dead may be officiated by a monk or monks at the place where the ashes and the bones have been deposited, or as in some localities the people bring their dead bones to a village wat in company with others where a joint memorial service is performed. In some parts of the country the guardian spirits of the village and town receive also their annual offerings on Songkran Days. Obviously there are reminiscences or traces of ancestor and animistic worship in by-gone days.
The Songkran festival is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia.
songkran day Thai people went to the merits at temple
songkran day
The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed. If these days fall on a weekend, the missed days off are taken on the weekdays immediately following. If they fall in the middle of the week, many Thai take off from the previous Friday until the following Monday. Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season.
songkran festivals thailand
Of all the feasts and festivals in Thailand, which are many, the Songkran Festival is the most striking, for it is widely observed not only in this country but also in Burma, Cambodia and the Lao State. Songkran is a Sanskrit word in Thai form which means the entry of the sun into any sign of the Zodiac. But the Songkran in this particular instance is when the sun enters the sign of Aries or the Ram. Its full name is Maha Songkran or Major Songkran to distinguish it from the other ones. But the people call it simply the Songkran for it is the only one they know and in which they take interest. It is their traditional New Year when they can enjoy their holidays to the full with no economic hindrance. The Songkran is in fact the celebration of the vernal equinox similar to those of the Indian Holi Festival, the Chinese Ching Ming, and the Christian Festival of Easter. The beginning of spring when the sun crosses the equator is now on the 21st of March which is due to the precession of the equinox. The Songkran Festival is in a certain sense like April Fool's Day, when the maids of the village play pranks on any gallant who happens to pass by their way. He will be caught and bound by the united strength of the maids and they will daub him with blacking. Information from: "Essays on Cultural Thailand" by Office of the National Culture Commission.
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I really love this song. So calm and peaceful.